Interviews

Street Fighter X Tekken producer on why the Vita edition could just be the premier version

Also: the combination of characters he'll be using to kick your ass online

Street Fighter X Tekken producer on why the Vita edition could just be the premier version

It's the one question we all pondered back in the day in school playgrounds and office canteens across the planet - who would win in a fight: Ryu or Jin?

Well, we won't have to wait much longer to find out, for Street Fighter X Tekken is smashing onto PS Vita in October.

Pocket Gamer recently spent some quality time with Tomoaki Ayano, the producer of the forthcoming crossover title, who spoke to us about upcoming Vita-only content and how his team is getting the most from Sony's hardware.

Ayano also revealed to us which character combo he prefers to roll with, and why he believes the Vita version just might have the edge over its home console counterparts.

Pocket Gamer: How difficult has the process of converting the home console experience of Street Fighter X Tekken to portable been?

Tomoaki Ayano: Converting Street Fighter X Tekken from the PS3 to the PS Vita was a very smooth process actually. The PS Vita is an extremely powerful piece of hardware, so it wasn't all that difficult.

However, maximising the power of the system was something that really took some effort. Ultimately, though, we were able to achieve a stable 60 frames per second, making it a true fighting game experience. Japanese people are really good at taking big things and shrinking them down.

I can promise you that the PS Vita version of Street Fighter X Tekken will satisfy everyone out there.

Have you made any significant or exciting changes to the Vita version?

The PS Vita possesses many new and exciting capabilities that the PS3 does not, so we wanted to tap into as many of them as possible in the Vita version of Street Fighter X Tekken.

To that end, we have taken advantage of the system's touchscreen capabilities by utilising both its front and back touch panels. Furthermore, these virtual buttons are fully customisable.

Using the AR features, meanwhile, you will be able to take pictures of your favourite characters any time, anywhere, and even get shots of yourselves with them.

The Near feature is also really neat, as it lets you trade character data with others. There are a whole load of other features, as well, mind.

Can you explain a bit more about how the touchscreen options will work, and what demographic of gamer you see using them?

The Vita doesn't have as many physical buttons as the standard PS3 controller, of course, so we have had to dream up alternative solutions.

This means implementing completely customisable virtual buttons, which can be used during battle. You can also use the touchscreen to control the game menus, and even customise your characters.

Touch control is a very intuitive input method, and I believe all of the Street Fighter X Tekken players will appreciate and utilise it.

Multiplayer is a big part of fighting games - how much importance do you attach to it in this edition?

Street Fighter X Tekken is a multiplayer versus game at heart. You will be able to fight others either in PS Vita vs PS Vita battles or in PS Vita vs PS3 matches using Cross Play - there will never be a shortage of opponents to take on.

Of the brand-new characters included in this Vita version, which have been the most fun to implement?

In terms of the Street Fighter characters, it would be Elena. In terms of the Tekken characters, it would be Lei.

Elena is making her first appearance in a Street Fighter game since Street Fighter III - seeing her and her moveset in full 3D is a real treat.

Lei is a character with many different fighting stances and an abundance of moves.

And which combination of the complete set do you personally tend to favour? Any tips you can give for players using those characters?

Personally, I'm a fan of the Ryu-Kazuya combination. If you can master these two characters, you will have an easier time making the transition to the other Street Fighter and Tekken characters available.

One tip for Kazuya players is to try and master his Mist Step move. This will be unfamiliar to Street Fighter players who have never played a Tekken game before, and the move is vital to unlocking Kazuya's true potential.

With such a large roster available, is there any chance that new players will be overwhelmed by choice?

Every character in the game has its own charms and strengths, but we think it was in the best interest of the players out there to put in as many fan favourites as possible.

A lot of the initial buzz around Street Fighter X Tekken on Vita was built around the brand-new DLC characters that would appear in it. But, since the schedule for their release has been moved up for home consoles, do you feel this has diminished the appeal slightly?

Street Fighter X Tekken for the PS Vita has a lot to offer users in terms of content, modes, and value. Characters are just one part of the overall package, so we do not think that the appeal has been diminished at all.

With touchscreen functionality, Near support, AR elements, and more to be announced later, Street Fighter X Tekken for Vita includes a lot of features the PS3 version does not.

I would say being able to play as all the characters any time, anywhere is the single biggest advantage the Vita edition has over the console version.

Street Fighter X Tekken Vita is released on October 19th. Check back on Pocket Gamer for our full review of the game around that time.
Peter Willington
Peter Willington
Die hard Suda 51 fan and professed Cherry Coke addict, freelancer Peter Willington was initially set for a career in showbiz, training for half a decade to walk the boards. Realising that there's no money in acting, he decided instead to make his fortune in writing about video games. Peter never learns from his mistakes.